New StuG III misbehaving!

[forgebear]

hi take the stug apart turn tank over 1 screw at front 2 either side of battery compartment and 2 at the rear the top will come off then take the 2 multi plugs out remember what is the Ir and the other for lights and bits then pull the black lead apart in the middle of the ariel and top off


sorry no 2000 in stock dave

[Athelstan]

Thanks for the instructions Forgebear and no worries about the battery, just thought I'd ask! The retailer has replied to me and are perfectly happy for me to take it apart; they've also said they'll provide spare parts if anything is damaged.

I'll see about doing that this afternoon and update the thread when I've had a look.

Thanks again everyone, fingers crossed

[Athelstan]

While trying to avoid melting out in this glorious sunshine I've had the tank apart, there was no trouble in that regard.

Frustratingly there were no loose wires so that leaves me with either a duff battery or duff electronics. I imagine HL's batteries won't really be up to much so it could simply be that either the battery won't hold a charge properly - or the charger won't charge properly.

I'm inclined to ask the retailer if they will send a new battery and charger, does that seem sensible? There's just a bit less hassle in that than returning the whole thing.

As for the gearbox noise; the gears don't mesh particularly well (the edges are already grinding down a bit after just a couple of minutes of use) and there's not a drop of lube. Hopefully with some grease and a bit more running (reliability permitting) the noise will settle down. As it stands now it's honestly too loud to stand next to when running with the lid off. I know I haven't seen one of these in the flesh before but that seems a tad excessive to me! A

[Athelstan]

Hey, Eastern Front.

Thanks for the input! I think I'm viewing this StuG as a bit of an introduction to the world of model tanks so I'm prepared to put up with a number of foibles and quirks in these early days. I have a limited income owing to disability but this works both ways; I can hardly leave the house so I have no expenditure on travel and sundries. I'm way up in the Highlands so probably not too near you, thank you for the offer, though. Having spent a lot of time with RC cars some years ago I completely appreciate the difference between cheap and 'expensive' electronics! The difference between speed controllers in particular was simply night and day.

You mentioned the ELMOD systems, perhaps you could help with an answer to a simple question or two if you don't mind? "How much" does the ELMOD replace? When I first heard about them I was under the impression it was purely a modified sound-system but now I've read more it appears that an ELMOD unit replaces the entire chunk of electronics that sits between the receiver and the motors, is that right? Do you lose tank-specific features like gun elevation/firing/rotation by installing one?

A member of the forum PMed me with a link to a very helpful resource explaining how to properly bed in the gearboxes so I have some lapping paste and molybdenum grease on the way. The gearbox and gears seem very sturdy so I'm really hoping that with a proper bit of running in they'll move far more smoothly. I'm actually wondering if the problem with the tank cutting out might actually be down to very high resistance in the gearbox...

[starktiger 1]

Welcome to our world

Rip the board out and get a new RX18 and receiver board

Forgebear will sell you them very cheep, cheaper than the return post

and if that don't fix the problem you can use them in the next tank you buy.


Jon

[LMN118]

If he purchased the tank from a business then there is no return postage to pay. The business in question is legally obliged to pay for the return of faulty goods.

Sounds like a faulty receiver board or perhaps crystals or both if they have decided to kill each other.

[Athelstan]

Welcome to our world

Rip the board out and get a new RX18 and receiver board

Forgebear will sell you them very cheep, cheaper than the return post

and if that don't fix the problem you can use them in the next tank you buy.


Jon

Hi Jon,

Am I right in thinking that this is an RX18 board?



That's what is in the StuG at the moment; unless I've ended up with my wires crossed (no pun intended...) I was under the impression it was an RX18! I'm afraid that I'll feel like a bit of a wombat if it turns out it's not

[Woz]

yep thats an RX-18

[starktiger 1]

Hi

Yep It is

Try putting a piece of plastic film over the exposed area of the receiver board
the antenna or upper hull wires maybe rubbing on it

just cut a piece a little lager than the board and put two tiny holes for two of the board screws

Jon

[Athelstan]

Thanks for the input, Starktiger. Toward the end of last week the retailer agreed that I should just sent the model back and have a replacement. In theory that's a fine idea but I've been a bit put-off by another thread on this forum that said people have experienced lengthy delays getting anything sorted by this particular retailer.

I asked for return postage instructions Saturday lunchtime (just minutes after I received the email suggesting a replacement) and as yet have heard nothing. I hate faffing around, I can't deny that there's a part of me that wants to to take it back out of its packaging (it's all wrapped up ready to return) and sort out the gearboxes to see if they were the problem. If it turns out that they weren't the problem and that it was in fact the electronics well, I guess there's an excuse to find out if an ELMOD system fits in a Heng Long StuG III (Does it?)